Automatic cut-off cock for gas-fixtures.



R. E. STAPLES.

AUTOMATIC GUT-OFF COOK FOR GAS FIXTURES. APPLICATION FILED A1R.29,190B.-

903,614. Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

A ttest: 8, ab, grow/n) UNTED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

RALPH E. STAPLES, OF CAMBRIDGE,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO CHARLES H. SPRAGUE, OFCAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ONE-FIFTH TO WILLIAM B. PENDLETON, OFHAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ONE-FIFTH TO SAMUEL G. POTTER, OF MELROSE,MASSACHUSETTS, AND ONE-TENTH TO MARY A. SPRAGUE, OF CAMBRIDGE,

MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF COCK FOR GAS-FIXTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH E. STAPLES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cambridge, in the county of Hiddlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Cut-Off Cocks for Gas-Fixtures, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to automatic cut-off cocks for gas fixtures, andmore particularly to a type thereof wherein a spring actuated cock isheld open through the expansion of a thermostatic controlling mechanism.

The main object of the invention'is to provide a cut-off cock for gasfixtures wherein the heat from the flame will expand a thermostatic rodto automatically actuate a lock ing mechanism to hold the cock in theopen position, and said rod, when it contracts, will release saidmechanism, and said cock may be so turned and locked, while said lockingmechanism is set, as to shut off the flow of gas to the burner, thuspermitting the safety cock to be used as a full control cock, ifdesired.

A further object is to provide a device of this character, wherein thelocking mechan- 3O ism may be accurately set relative to the cooperatingmember carried by the cock through the adjustment of the length of thethermostatic rod, in a manner to time the looking or releasing of thecock to as short an interval as is practical.

A still further object is to provide a device of this characteremploying a spring returned cock and thermostatically controlled lockingmeans whereby the heat from the flame will normally hold the cock open,

with a locking mechanism having a sufficiently strong tension to resistthe action of the spring acting on said cock while being capable ofyielding sufficiently to permit the release of the cock under positivepressure to avoid damage to the locking mechanism in case one unfamiliarwith the device should attempt to shut off the flow of gas by turningsaid cock backward when the locking i'nechanism is set. And a stillfurther object is to provide a device of this character which will besimple in construction, wherein the various parts will be so constructedand arranged as to be strong and not readily disarranged, wherein thedevice may be readily applied relative to any burner and which will beneat and compact and inexpensive to produce.

The invention consists, primarily, in the combination in a device ofthis character, of a gas fixture including a burner and a pipe lineleading thereto, a gas cook in said line having a rotary plug, a springnormally acting on said plug to close said cock, cooperating lockingmeans on said plug and its casing, whereby said plug may be locked byturning it beyond the open position against the tension of said spring,a thermostatic rod, means supporting said rod above said burner, andwithin the zone of heat of the flame therefrom, an oscillatory lockinglever actuated by said rod, and means carried by said plug adapted toengage said lever to lock said plug in the open position, and in suchother novel features of construction and combination of parts as arehereinafter set forth and described and more particularly pointed out inthe claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gasfixture embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; and Fig.3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking downwardly; and Fig. 4cis an enlarged View of the lower casing of the cock and of the rotaryplug thereof, illustrating the arrangement of friction surfaces forholding the plug in the olosed'position against the tension of thespring acting thereon.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown a gas fixture of aconventional type, which includes a burner a, and a pipeline 7), leadingthereto from any desired source of supply. Arranged in said pipe-line isa gas cock 0, composed of an ordinary casing having mounted therein arotary plug (Z controlling the flow of gas to the burner a. I alsoarrange in this pipe-line a supplemental cock 6, of any desired type,the function of which is to regulate the volume of gas flowing throughthe pipe Z) to the valve casing 0 and burner a, the cock 0 beinganautomatic cut-off cock and the cock 6, as stated, being a regulatingcock. I employ the cock 6 in conjunction with the cock 0, in order thatthe sizeof the flame may be controlled.

The plug 61 is made loose a fit in the casing of the cock 0 as ispermissible with the formation of a gas-tight joint therebetween, asthis plug is a rotary plug and is designed to be actuated for thepurpose of automatically closing the cock to cut off the flow of gas bymeans of a torsion spring and the resistance within the casing must,therefore, be limited as much as possible. Acting upon the plug (Z, soas to normally close the cock 0, is a torsion spring f, one end of which-is secured to said plug, and the other end of which is secured to thefitting of the said cock 0. The spring is thus seated close to thevalve'casing, and between it and the actuating handle d of the plug (Z,thus being in a positionwhere it will not interfere with the freeactuation of the said plug and permit of a compact arrangement of thecut-off mech anism. The exact location of this spring is immaterialtothe invention, it being merely necessary that any suitablespringacting on said plug to normally close said cock, and which will betensioned by the opening of the cock, be used.

Mounted upon the burner (4, adjacent to the tip thereof, is a brackethaving upwardly projecting arms g, g, disposed upon opposite sidesofsaid burner and distanced therefrom sufliciently to afford the desiredquan tity of metal in a thermostatic rod, to be hereinafter referred to.This bracket is secured to the burner a by means of a split collar 9closed by the screws 9 thus permitting the application of the bracket toburners of different dimensions. This bracket and the plug cl carrycooperating locking members actuated through a thermostatic rod, wherebythe said plug may be locked through the expansion of said rod by theheatfrom the flame of the burner. These locking members comprise atongue 6Z2, carried by some part of the plug cl, preferably the handle dand an oscillating lever 7L pivotally mounted on one arm of saidbracket, as 9, adjacent to one end of said lever, thus causing aconsiderable quantity of movement of the long arm of said lever relativeto the movement of the short arm thereof, under the influence of saidrod.

To relieve the bracket from side strains due to the action of the springf, I provide a slotted guide a on the burner a, or on the fixtureimmediately below same, which, while permitting a free oscillation ofthe lever h, willtake up any side strains thereon. The pivot z, unitingthe lever h to the arm 9, may be of any desired form,an ordinary pivotor scissors screw being used.

- As a'safe'guard against damage to the at tachment by persons notfamiliar with its mode of operation, I make either or both of thecooperating locking membersh, (Z flexible, taking care, however, thatthe tension of said member be greater than that ever exerted by thespring 7, so that to secure the flexing of either of said membersnecessary to permit one to pass the other, greater power must be appliedthan that exerted by the said spring.

The bracket, including the arm 9, 5/ thereof, is preferably made ofsheet metal. One end of the arm 9, as is twisted at right angles to theremainder of the arm, thus affording sufficient compressive strength tothe arm 7' while affording a holding surface of considerable area atright angles to the angle of projection of the thermostatic rod 7',carried by said arm, and the short arm 7b of the lever 71,, which isturned in a similar manner to that of the end 9 and parallel therewith.

The ends of the rod 7' are screw-threaded, and adjustably mounted in theend of the arm 9, and to the short arm 71/ of the lever 7;, by means oftake-up and lock-nutswlc and is at the opposite ends thereof, which nutsare disposed on opposite sides of said arms, respectively. Any otherdesired take-up mechanism may be employed, it being merely necessarythat some means he provided for regulating the length of thethermostatic rod for the purpose of properly seating the lever 7b andsecuring the desired amount of ex pansion and contraction of said rodfor the purpose of actuating said lever and the locking mechanism, ofwhich it forms a part.

I so form one part of the split collar g as to space it away from thearm :9 of the bracket to leave clearance between the two parts of thesaid collar 9 and to accommodate the long arm of the lever lb forming anupper guide way in which said arm may reciprocate. This point isindicated at Z. The long arm of the said lever h is projected toward theburner a, and then downwardlyparallel there with for the purpose ofcompactness of structure, and making the tongue (Z as short as possible.This arrangement, however, may be varied through the positioning of thecock 0, although, as shown in the drawings, the construction describedis compact and not conspicuous.

In order to permit the use of the cock 0 for the purpose of entirelycutting off the flow of gas to the burner a, independently of theautomatic cutofl mechanism, I provide abutting friction surfaces uponthe easing of the cock 0 and on the rotary plug (Z, consisting of a camsurface (Z on said plug, which will, when said plug has been turned 180degrees, engage the casing of the cock 0 and bind firmly against same.This arrangement may be used with perfect safety, as, in

case the abutting friction surfaces should, through wear, permit theplug (Z to escape the spring f would merely automatically close same bya turn of 180 degrees to the other closed position.

The operation of the herein described device is substantially asfollows? The cock 6 is first opened to the full extent to permit theflow of gas through the pipe Z) to the cock 0. This cock, when it isdesired to light the gas, is turned substantially 90 degrees, allowing afull flow of gas to the burner a. Said burner is ignited in the usualmanner. As the flame impinges upon the thermostatic rod j, said rod willimmediately begin to expand and force the short arm of the lever itoutwardly about the pivot 2' and forcing the long arm of said leverforwardly of the tongue (F, the term forwardly relating to the directionof action of the spring f. The limit of expansion is reached within twoseconds, at which time the plug cl may be released. Thereupon, thespring f will turn said plug to an extent to cause the tongue CF toengage the lower end of the long arm of the lever h, thus automaticallylocking the cock in the open position. If the flame be too high, thevolume of the flow of gas may be regulated through the supplemental cock6.

The tension of the spring f, being less than that of the arm h or thetongue 6?, it will not exert sufiicient pressure to force the tongue (Zpast the arm it. If, however, a person should attempt to shut off thefiow of gas by turning the plug (Z manually, the tongue (Z or the end ofthe arm h, would flex before sufficient power had been applied to breakeither of these members and permit the plug to be turned independentlyof the locking mechanism. The guides Z and a not only serve to guide theoscillatory movement of the lever h, but will also take up the strainsfrom the spring f, and incidental to the manual operation of the plug,above referred to.

If the throw of the lever h is too great to insure prompt action, or tooshort to secure the desired engagement of the long arm thereof and thetongue (F, the length of the thermostatic rod 7' may be regulated byreleasing the nuts 70, 7a, and taking up or letting out said rod betweenthe arm 9 of the bracket and the short arm of the lever it, said leverbeing moved to accommodate itself to this adjustment. In case the gasshould be accidentally put out, the cooling of the rod would contract itsufficiently to reverse the movement of the lever it, thus forcing thelower end thereof outwardly and away from the path of the tongue 6Z2.Thereupon, the spring f would instantly close the cock 0 and cut off theflow of gas. If it be desired to turn out the gas, the plug (Z may beturned another 90 degrees until the cam surface (Z thereon engages wit-hthe casing of said cock, locking the plug in this position, temporarily,at least, until the rod has cooled sufliciently to remove the lever fromthe path of the tongue (P, as above described.

I am aware that it is old in this art to automatically cut off the flowof gas by means of a thermostatic rod within the burner jet, and I donot intend to claim such broadly. I believe, however, that the structureherein described possesses certain advantages over the prior art inpoints affecting its practical utility. It is apparent, however, thatthe exact arrangement of parts and the specific details of theirconstruction, as shown in the drawings, are not so essen tial to theinvention as not to permit a variation thereof without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to haveprotected by Letters-Patent, is

1. In an automatic cut-off cock for gas fixtures, the combination with agas fixture including a burner, a pipe-line leading thereto and a gascock in said line having a rotary plug, of a spring acting on said plugto normally close said cock, cooperating locking means on said plug andits casing, whereby said plug may be locked by turning it beyond theopen position against the tension of said spring, a thermostatic rod,means supporting said rod above said burner, and within the zone of heatof the flame therefrom, an oscillatory locking lever actuated by saidrod, and means carried by said plug adapted to engage said lever to looksaid plug in the open position.

2. In an automatic cut-off cock for gas fixtures, the combination with agas fixture including a burner, a pipe-line leading thereto, and agas-cock in said line having a rotary plug, of a spring acting on saidplug to normally close said cock, cooperating friction surfaces on saidplug and its casing, whereby said plug may be locked by turning itbeyond the open position againstthe tension of said spring, athermostatic rod, means supporting said rod above said burner, andwithin the zone of heat of the flame therefrom, an oscillatory lockinglever actuated by said rod, and means carried by said plug adapted toengage said lever to lock said plug in the open position.

3. In an automatic cut-off cock for gas fixtures, the combination with agas fixture including a burner, a pipe-line leading thereto, and a gascook in said line having a rotary plug, of a spring acting on said plugto normally close said cook, a bracket adapted to be attached to theburner, cooperating locking members carried by said bracket and saidplug, whereby said plug may be locked against rotation by said spring,one of said members being flexible, whereby it may be sprung to permitthe other member to pass, the tension of said flexible member beinggreater thansaid spring, and a thermostatic rod. mounted in one of saidmembers and said bracket, whereby the expansion or contraction of saidrod will set or releasesaid a members.

' 4. In an automatic cut-ofi' cock for gas v fixtures, the combinationwith a gas fixture including a burner, a p1pe-l1ne leading there to anda gas cock in said line having a rotary plug, 0i" a spring acting onsaid plug to normally close said cock, a bracket adapted tobe attachedto the burner, an oscillatory lever mounted in one arm of said bracket,a thermostatic rod having its opposite ends attached to said lever andthe otherarm of fixtures, the combination with a gas fixture including aburner, a pipe-line leading thereto and a gas cock in said line having arotary plug, and a supplemental cock for controlling the flow of gastosaid first mentioned cock, of a spring acting on said plug, to normallyclose said cock, a bracket adapted to be attached to the burner, anoscillatory lever mounted in one arm of said bracket, a

thermostatic rod having its opposite ends attached to said lever and theother arm of said bracket, means whereby the length of said rod betweensaid bracket arm and said lever arm may be regulated, and a lockingmember adapted to cooperate with said lever carried by said plug.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto afiixed my signature this sixteenthday of April, 1908, in the presence of two witnesses.

RALPH E. STAPLES. l/Vitnesses:

N. L. FROTI-IINGHAM, A. A. ASHMAN.

